EXPECT a horse-racing theme when fast bowler Chris Silverwood celebrates the benefit season which Yorkshire have awarded him next year.

The Pontefract-born player, who grew up with Castleford Cricket Club in the Yorkshire League, has taken a liking to the sport of kings.

He is now part of a syndicate which owns a horse at Newmarket called Pie although it is not yet at the racing stage.

"Newmarket is a lovely town built on dreams and I am already thinking of holding a cricket match there between a Yorkshire side and the trainers and jockeys," said Silverwood.

"It is surprising how many racing people also have a deep interest in cricket and organising a game of this sort would certainly be something different from the normal run of things."

Yorkshire fans everywhere will hope that Silverwood has a hugely successful benefit because his sunny personality and temperament have lit up many a match over the past decade or so and he has always managed a smile, even when things have been going against him.

That a bowler of his ability should only have six Test matches and seven one-day internationals to his name is a crying shame and Silverwood has every reason to feel aggrieved that England have overlooked him on so many occasions when he was bowling well enough to be in the side.

But England's loss has been Yorkshire's gain and it has enabled him to take 371 first- class wickets for the county, his target now being to make it to 500 and join the elite list of bowlers who have reached that milestone for the county.

Only 31 have managed it down the years and just a dozen since the 1939-45 war, the last of them being that old war-horse Peter Hartley, who bowed out with the grand total of 579.

Darren Gough, whose career stretches back four years longer than Silverwood's, has so far got to 397 but he may now find that he has insufficient time left to join the 500 club.

"Yorkshire have given me a lot of chances down the years and to make it to 500 wickets would be a way of paying them back and saying thank-you," said Silverwood.

"I wanted to play for Yorkshire before I ever began to think about England and I have collected some marvellous memories.

"I particularly remember my Yorkshire debut against Hampshire in 1993 and turning up at Southampton and first of all seeing David Gower in the home dressing room and then Malcolm Marshall which made me feel a tad nervous.

"To be playing against such great cricketers was truly awesome and I managed a couple of maidens before lunch to Gower but he went and tucked into me after the interval.

"My first victim was Jon Ayling, who gave me a return catch and soon afterwards he retired from first-class cricket, but I think it was through injury more than anything I had done to him!

"Some of the most magical moments, however, are to do with the team and among the best have got to be winning the Championship in 2001 and lifting the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy at Lord's last summer.

"I am suddenly realising that organising a benefit uses up a lot of time and will take a year out of my life but I want it to be a year to remember - and one which I hope the fans will also enjoy."

Updated: 10:40 Saturday, July 05, 2003